Following the announcement of significant changes to Team Europe's 2025 Ryder Cup qualification process on Tuesday, many are questioning how this will affect Jon Rahm and Tyrell Hatton.
Both Rahm and Hatton were pivotal in Europe's resounding victory over their American counterparts in Italy last October. However, their places on the 2025 roster have been thrown into doubt.
Just months after their Ryder Cup triumph at Marco Simone, both Rahm and Hatton decided to switch to LIV Golf.
While this decision doesn't render a player ineligible to compete for Luke Donald's European team in the future, it does introduce some complexities.
By moving to the LIV setup, several of Europe's most celebrated Ryder Cup stars have forfeited their opportunity to represent their continent. Ian Poulter, Sergio Garcia and Lee Westwood all relinquished their eligibility after choosing to resign their DP World Tour membership due to potential fines for participating in LIV events, reports the Mirror.
Currently, both Rahm and Hatton remain members of the DP World Tour and are thus still eligible to compete in the Ryder Cup.
The pathway that Rahm, Hatton and other European hopefuls need to follow was clarified on Tuesday. Team Europe confirmed its plans to adopt a single points list to select its first six qualifiers, with captain Donald picking the remaining half of the team.
Points will only be available at PGA Tour and DP World Tour events, not LIV Golf tournaments. The situation of Rahm and Hatton is intriguing.
Like their fellow LIV stars, the Legion XIII pair are also expected to face financial penalties, and will need to settle these fines if they wish to remain members of the Tour and Donald's team.
In addition, the LIV Golf pair must participate in at least four DP World Tour events by year-end to maintain their membership. As confirmed by the DP World Tour to Mirror Sport, Rahm and Hatton both need to play three more events to fulfil this requirement.
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Hatton participated in his sole DP World Tour event for the season in January, just before his move, which was at the Dubai Desert Classic. In Rahm's case, his performance at the Olympic Games in Paris last week counted towards his DP World Tour tally for the year.
What happens next is largely uncertain, but both have expressed their plans to meet their quota by year-end. Rahm disclosed at last month's Open Championship his plan to play in his native Spanish Open in September, provided everything goes smoothly with the birth of his first child with his wife Kelley.
The Tour is set to return to Spain for the Andalucia Masters, offering Jon Rahm another opportunity to make one of his four required appearances. He could also aim for a spot at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship in the season's penultimate week.
Stellar performances might secure him a place in the DP World Tour Championship, where the top-50 players vie for the Race to Dubai title.
Tyrrell Hatton has outlined his intention to play in the Spanish Open, the British Masters, and the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship, which he has won twice, to meet his playing commitments. With an eye on the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship, where he has previously triumphed, Hatton is keen to qualify for the prestigious season-ending event in Dubai this November.
Both players must also settle any outstanding fines to preserve their Ryder Cup eligibility. While the exact amount of their fines remains unclear, Rahm disclosed ongoing discussions with the Tour during last month's Open at Royal Troon.
"We're still in conversations with the Tour," Rahm remarked. "I haven't been able to play any Tour events, so yeah, we're going to have to sort it out... I haven't paid [fines] yet, but again, I just don't know when I'm going to play."
Despite the hurdles, Rahm and Hatton are still in contention to represent Europe in New York next Autumn, provided they complete the necessary prerequisites.
